Scope

Your hard disk drive is one of the most important parts of your PC. It's where all your system files, applications and user data reside. Most people understand the issue of security, the importance of making regular backups of your user data as an insurance policy against catastrophic failure of a hard disk drive. Perhaps fewer appreciate the importance of having a regular hard disk maintenance regime, design to keep it in good working order.

The ultimate way to revitalise and cleanse your PC is to start from scratch, to wipe the hard drive and then reinstall the Windows XP operating system. You can sometimes encounter problems where no other course of action is possible. However, there is much you can do to avoid such a situation arising, simply by using utilities provided as part and parcel of your Windows operating system.

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the following Windows XP tools to keep your hard disk drive running efficiently:

• Disk Cleanup
• Disk Error-checking
• Disk Defragmenter